Tinder Addresses Rising STD Rates With a New Sexual Health Section

On Thursday, Tinder added a sexual health section to its website, explaining the basics of safe sex and directing them to an STD testing site locator. It's a plus that the app is providing users, particularly those on there primarily for hookups, with easy access to information — but the findings that spurred the move are more troubling. For several years now, experts have been debating whether dating apps are leading to a rise in STD rates. What's not debatable is that they've risen. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis rates went up in 2014 for the first time since 2006, according to the CDC, which also found that new HIV diagnoses among gay and bisexual men went up over 130 percent between 2002 and 2011. Tinder said in a statement that the link between STDs and dating apps has not been proven and did not spur the sexual health page. Nevertheless, the AIDS Health Foundation had been on Tinder's case for a while, creating billboards warning people of dating apps' potential risks. The Foundation agreed to halt its campaign after Tinder's addition to its website. Whether the page will actually lead people to hook up more responsibly remains to be

On Thursday, Tinder added a sexual health section to its website, explaining the basics of safe sex and directing them to an STD testing site locator. It's a plus that the app is providing users, particularly those on there primarily for hookups, with easy access to information — but the findings that spurred the move are more troubling.

For several years now, experts have been debating whether dating apps are leading to a rise in STD rates. What's not debatable is that they've risen. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis rates went up in 2014 for the first time since 2006, according to the CDC, which also found that new HIV diagnoses among gay and bisexual men went up over 130 percent between 2002 and 2011.

Tinder said in a statement that the link between STDs and dating apps has not been proven and did not spur the sexual health page. Nevertheless, the AIDS Health Foundation had been on Tinder's case for a while, creating billboards warning people of dating apps' potential risks.

The Foundation agreed to halt its campaign after Tinder's addition to its website. Whether the page will actually lead people to hook up more responsibly remains to be seen. The information the site currently provides is minimal—advising readers to use condoms, discuss STDs with partners, ask their doctors about vaccinations, and get tested.